12.02.2016

12.02.2016Sung-Hee Choi, 12. FebruarFwd: [Feb. 11] No THAAD, Scrap MD!The current situation is dangerous.. As you have already looked through, there are bunch of English articles on the imminent prospect of THAAD (made by Lockheed Martin) to be deployed in South Korea. Currently, in the world, there are more than several places including Kyoto where THAAD radars are being deployed. But if it is not stopped, South Korea would be the 1st nation where the THAAD battery is to be deployed outside the United States ( Fort Bliss, Texas with 4 batteries) and Guam (with 1 battery). The government says it is for North Korean threat. But critics note that it is for the United States Presidential election (reward for US arms corporations ), as well as South Korea National election this April. Who pays for that? Whose health is threatened? Is there any suitable place for the deployment of THAAD which needs 4 soccer fields and clearance of nearby 5.5km area because of dangerous electric wave in population-packed South Korea?That is why a Korean media-Munwha Ilbo- leaks a line that even the northern part of the Jeju Island is considered for additional place of THAAD installment for the future? Yes. Jeju has only less than 600,000 population. And it is an isolated Island already with Jeju navy base (the construction completion ceremony would be Feb. 26) and marine base. Then the United States would also want a US base for THAAD then? Yes. If then, everybody would clearly know that it is not for North Korea but China, and possibly for Russia, too?)

The United States and South Korea would have the ever-biggest KeyResolve-Foal Eagle war exercise from March 7th to April 30. A special operation to kill the leadership of North Korea is told to be incorporated in its exercise. Is it surprising to know that South Korea was the top arms import country in 2015, of which much of it is from the United States?

And just at the end of Lunar New Year holiday, Feb. 10, the South Korean government has made a unilateral decision to totally withdraw from the Kaesong Industrial complex, which means there would be no buffer zone to stop war between North and South.

For whom, all these dangerous steps are made??? Who profits from conflicts and war? Whose lives are sacrificed? No THAAD! Scrap MD! NO ROK-US-Japan War alliance!

'A fundamental problem is the fact that assemblies are deemed to be “unlawful” unless organizers notify the authorities in advance, and many demonstrations are banned after notification. The Constitution of the Republic of Korea, the Assembly and Demonstration Act (ADA) and international standards recognize that it may be acceptable for authorities to require notification prior to the holding of an assembly.

However, they are equally clear that organizers’ failure to notify does not make an assembly illegal. Nor should the notification process be used to preemptively ban assemblies, except in very limited circumstances. I was informed that in many cases, notifications result in authorities banning assemblies to prevent disruption of traffic or to enforce blanket bans against assemblies at certain locations or times; these justifications are not appropriate under international human rights law.' Statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly...freeassembly.net(한국어) SEOUL – I would like to thank the Government of the Republic of Korea for inviting me to under...